New bottle, old wine

Sir — Every January, gymnasiums turn into arenas of well-intentioned chaos as the ‘New Year, New Me’ crowd arrives, fuelled by holiday guilt and the sudden conviction that a subscription of 500 rupees is all that stands between them and a six-pack. This seasonal rush is no exaggeration; nearly 12% of all new gym memberships are signed in January, making it the busiest month of the year for fitness centres. However, by the time the second Friday of January rolls in, the initial fire for the workout begins to flicker. Alarmingly, 80% of those who join in January quit within five months. For most, the real workout is not deadlifts or cardio but the mental gymnastics required to justify why they stop showing up by February.

Isha Sen,
Hooghly

Hate kills

Sir — A 24-year-old MBA student from Tripura, Anjel Chakma, who confronted a group of men for hurling racial slurs at him and his younger brother, died in a Dehradun hospital after fighting for his life for over 14 days (“Bloodstain”, Dec 31). The killing is a grim reminder that division and intolerance in the country run deeper than ever before. Incidents like this force an uncomfortable question: do we, as a nation, have the moral standing to lecture others on human rights, racism, or minority protection?

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee,
Faridabad

Sir — After Jewel Sheikh, a Muslim man from Bengal who was killed in Odisha, it is now the turn of Anjel Chakma, a Buddhist student from Tripura, to become the victim of New India or Lynchistaan. What a tragically ironic idea of a ‘liberal’ country of values where citizens can be murdered in the name of gomata, love jihad, or because they are branded ‘Bangladeshi’ or ‘Chinese.’

The deepest concern remains that instead of protesting the lynchings, self-proclaimed ‘nationalists’ dare to accuse Bangladesh of persecuting minorities. Before meddling in another country’s internal affairs, why don’t they first clean up their own backyard?

Kajal Chatterjee,
Calcutta

Sir — While we are quick to criticise Western countries for racial discrimination against Indian students, it is deeply unfortunate that many of us face the same fate, being treated as ‘outsiders’ in our own country, a reality we too often choose to ignore (“Rights lens on ‘racist’ killing”, Dec 31). India takes pride in its unity in diversity, yet repeatedly fails those who embody that diversity most visibly. What makes this tragedy even more damning is the silence and the normalisation that surround such incidents, emboldening perpetrators to act with impunity.

Gregory Fernandes,
Mumbai

Some relief

Sir — The Supreme Court’s timely intervention in staying the controversial Delhi High Court decision that suspended the life sentence of the former lawmaker, Kuldeep Singh Sengar, is commendable. Sengar was convicted of raping a teenager in Uttar Pradesh in 2018. Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, an offence becomes aggravated and attracts stricter punishment when committed by a person in a position of trust or authority.

That the Delhi High Court accepted the argument that a legislator cannot be considered a public servant under certain Indian Penal Code sections is deeply troubling. The episode raises concerns about how the law can be stretched to offer relief to convicted rapists who are also public representatives.

P. Victor Selvaraj,
Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu

Back to basics

Sir — In an era dominated by screens, every effort to cultivate the habit of reading books deserves genuine appreciation. In this context, Goa’s ‘Phir Se Kitaab’ campaign stands out as a timely reminder that nations are built on books. Similarly, the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to make newspaper-reading a daily school activity reflects both educational insight and social responsibility (“Read right”, Dec 30). Together, these initiatives affirm that reading is the key to cultural survival.

Kyamudin Ansari,
Mumbai

Father figure

Sir — A father in Texas used the parental controls on his daughter’s phone to track her location and rescue her after she was kidnapped at knifepoint on Christmas. Confronting the abductor with courage, he helped secure her escape, leading to the suspect’s arrest. The episode underscores the life-saving potential of modern technology. India would do well to encourage the wider integration of such safety features in mobile phones, train citizens in their use, and promote greater vigilance to prevent similar crimes.

R.S. Narula,
Patiala

Sacred surge

Sir — The Jagannath temple in Digha on Sunday clocked one crore visitors in eight months of its inauguration (“Validation in numbers: Jagannath Dham clocks 1 crore visitors”, Dec 29). The achievement underscores the success of the coastal shrine in seamlessly blending devotion with modern infrastructure. Since its opening, Digha has steadily evolved from a seasonal beach destination into a pilgrimage hub. Hoteliers, transport operators, flower sellers, priests, artisans and small vendors alike report sustained growth in business, reflecting the broader economic impact of the temple’s rising popularity.

Khokan Das,
Calcutta

Sir — The Digha Jagannath temple does not claim any ancient pilgrimage status steeped in mythology or mystic lore. Some have suggested that it challenges the primacy of the centuries-old Jagannath temple in Puri, but such a comparison is misplaced. The Digha temple, a first of its kind in Bengal, has been widely welcomed by people of all castes and creeds.

Pratima Manimala,
Howrah